To Rule the World
by Infinite Zer0
Summary: The G.I. Joe team must face a new Pyramid of Darkness. But is Cobra really defeated or simply up to something else?
1. The Hidden Enemy

To Rule the World

_G.I. Joe is the codename for America's daring, highly trained special mission force. It's purpose, to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined_

To Rule the World

_****__Part 1_

_****__The Hidden Enemy_

[**By Nick Maro**][1]

------------------------

The doors to the inner chamber finally opened. Long lines of ambassadors and other dignitaries filed out slowly. A general in an United States uniform waited patiently to the side. He adjusted his tie impatiently and watched the men and women of high power go by. No matter how many times he visited the United Nations, General Clayton Abernathy never lost the awe he first felt all those many years ago.

A short and burly man came out of the room. He had slicked back grey and black hair and a day's worth of stubble on his face. General Abernathy ran up to the man and pulled him aside. "Ambassador Volkov. It's great to see you again, old friend!" He shook the Russian man's hand with enthusiasm.

"General Abernathy! It is surprise to see you here, comrade. What brings you to the dreary halls of the UN?" The Ambassador asked as they slowly walked down the hallway. He nodded to Russian officials and heads of states as they went by.

The General tipped his hat up a bit and scratched his head. "Not really sure. I was just ordered by the Commission to report to the United Nations today. Which I found odd because I usually report to them at the Pentagon. So I figured I'd visit my old friend Vladamir Volkov." He smiled at the Russian man. "I have a few minutes before I need to report in. What do you say we head to the commissary? I'll buy you lunch on the United States government. I'm sure that won't backlash into a scandal."

Vladamir thought about it for moment and nodded. "_Da_. It be good to catch up on old times. And since when have I passed up on a free meal?" He let out a deep, hearty laugh and slapped General Abernathy on the back. "I haven't had the chance to talk since Cold War ended. I have many stories about the Oktober Guard to tell you. I'm sure you have stories about G.I. Joe to tell."

"Yes, I have my share. Most of which end in Beach Head having a breakdown of some kind." The General walked beside the Ambassador and they updated each other on their personal lives. They found a place to sit after getting their meals. "So, since then we haven't heard from Cobra. It's been almost a year now. I don't dare think or hope that we've heard the last of them, but I can't help but hope it's true."

"We have not heard anything from Cobra in a long while in Mother Russia. Many say they have disbanded. While others say they are hiding, waiting to strike when the world least suspects it. Personally I want to believe they are gone, but I'm staying alert. It good way to stay alive, no?" Vladamir unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite.

General Abernathy chuckled little. "I don't get you sometimes. You're perfectly fluent in English, yet you talk like a Russian in a bad spy movie."

"It's easier to talk that way sometimes, Clayton. Especially when you've been jumping from Russian to English all morning. Plus, my kids think it's hysterical."

"Always figured you for a lazy Russian." General Abernathy smiled behind his glass of coffee and looked at his watch. "It's almost time for the meeting. If it's nothing important, what do you say that you and Ana meet me for dinner tonight?"

"Yes, I'd enjoy that."

Putting his hat back on, Clayton Abernathy nodded. "Great. Hopefully I'll see you tonight." He saluted to the Russian ambassador, who saluted in return. General Abernathy turned on his heel and walked out of the commissary. A few minutes later he was standing before the room the Commission had ordered him to report to. He opened the door and shut it silently.

----------------------

Conrad Hauser, better known as Duke, watched the men and women of G.I. Joe perform their daily exercises. He watched the new recruits struggle to keep up with the veterans. He knew by the end of the day that most of the new recruits would quit. Duke rubbed his tired eyes and approached the man leading the day's exercises. "Hawk should be back today from New York, Flint. I don't know what the Commission wanted with him, but it's odd they called him to New York."

Flint looked up from the clipboard. "Yeah, I know. Something has been bothering me though. Cobra has been quiet for almost a year now. That isn't like them. I hardly think that their defeat in Washington would be enough to cause them to go into hiding." He smirked at the sergeant. "Listen to me, complaining that Cobra is in hiding."

"You're just bored is all." Duke looked out at the training soldiers again. "I know I am. Can I tell you something in the strictest confidence, Flint?" He paced as his friend agreed. Duke took a deep breath. "I've been given an offer to lead a more active unit. I can't say what at the moment. But it'll get me out in the field again. I feel like I'm doing nothing but getting old here, Flint." Duke leaned back and cracked his spine. He let out a satisfied sighed.

"That choice is completely up to you, Duke. It is your military career, not mine. If you're looking for advice I can only tell you what I'd do." Flint signaled for one of the instructors to come over. He handed the instructor the clipboard and started walking with Duke. "I'd go for it personally. But that is just me. Have you talked to anyone else about this?"

Duke casually returned a salute to a new recruit. "I talked to Scarlett about it the other night. She said basically what you did. Lady Jaye as well. Snake Eyes just bowed and walked away. I took it as his way of telling me I should do it and he'd miss me." Duke fell quiet for a moment in thought. He finally looked up at Flint with a sad smile. "I'm going to do it. If it makes me happy, then I should do it, right?"

"Then I guess I'll miss you, too. The Joe team won't be the same without you. When do you plan on telling Hawk that you're leaving?"

"Sooner the better I figure." Duke looked at his watch. "I better call and let them know I'll lead their squad. I also have to start packing up. Time to see how much shit I've collected over the years. I just hope this new command is a good one. I don't think anything would be as good as being the First Shirt of G.I. Joe."

Flint shook Duke's hand. "Not to get mushy or anything, but it was great serving with you, Duke. Just wish it could've lasted longer." Flint then saluted Duke and walked back to where he had left the instructor.

Duke watched Flint walk away and started heading back to his quarters. Halfway there, he was stopped by an out of breath Dial Tone. He hunched over and stopped to catch his breath. Dial Tone finally looked up at Duke. "I just got a message from General Hawk that he wants to see you as soon as he lands. He has an urgent announcement for the Joes tonight."

"All right thanks, Dial Tone. Make the announcement that we're having an assembly tonight. All leaves are suspended until the assembly is over." Duke saluted Dial Tone and continued on his way back to his quarters. He watched his friends train as he walked. Duke felt as if he was turning his back the best friends he ever had.

----------------------------

The carrier helicopter settled to the tarmac easily. The door opened and a ramp extended to the ground. General Abernathy stood at the top of the ramp. He saluted to Scarlett who was waiting for him along with his secretary. She saluted back and stood at ease. General Abernathy walked down the ramp slowly. At the bottom, he handed his briefcase to his secretary. Scarlett walked next to him towards his office. "Thank you for meeting me here, Scarlett."

"Not a problem, Hawk. The message you left for me sounded urgent enough. What did the Commission tell you, that made you order all Joes back to base?" Scarlett took the briefcase from Hawk's secretary and dismissed her.

Hawk let out a disgruntled sigh. "It's a huge mess. Bunch of bureaucratic morons. I swear, this decision of theirs is going to come back and bite each of them in the ass." He hurried his pace, Scarlett easily kept up with him. "Just go get ready, Shana. You can either wear your G.I. Joe uniform or your dress greens. It's really up to you." He took the briefcase from Scarlett and entered the building with his office.

Scarlett stood next to Hawk's secretary for a moment, then went to her quarters to change.

-------------------------

General Hawk adjusted his uniform and approached the podium. He cleared his throat soundly into the microphone to get everyone's attention. "As many of you know I met with the Commission yesterday. For those who don't know who the Commission is, they're the men and women who decide how much funding goes to G.I. Joe. In other words, they pay the bills.

"In the meeting yesterday I was given both good and bad news. The good news is that it seems the threat of Cobra is finished." A loud cheer erupted from the audience. Hawk held his hands up. "Settle down. Settle down. With the threat of Cobra finished comes the bad news." Hawk brought his gaze across the men of women of G.I. Joe in the audience and on the stage with him. "I'm afraid that G.I. Joe has been deemed too much of an drain on taxes and resources of the American people. Effective immediately G.I. Joe will be disbanded and reformed as a much smaller unit."

The audience and the men and women on the stage all gasped and began talking quietly. Hawk raised his voice a little. "Quiet everyone. I'm not finished yet." Slowly, the members of G.I. Joe fell silent. "Those who don't make the new Joe team will either be reassigned or honorably discharged. The new team of Joes will be what it was created to be, an anti-terrorist team. According to the Commission, G.I. Joe grew so large out of the need to defeat Cobra. Now they feel that since Cobra is gone, the Joe team should be smaller and more efficient. I don't agree with them, but they're in charge. The members of the new G.I. Joe will be the following: Duke, Flint, Lady Jaye, Scarlett, Dial Tone, Mainframe, Doc, Ace, Cover Girl, Dusty, Snake Eyes, Stalker and myself."

Duke stood and gestured to the microphone. Hawk stepped aside and let him take the podium. Duke cleared his throat lightly and smiled at his fellow G.I. Joe members. "I hoped to make this announcement at another time. But in the light of current events, I might as well do it now." Duke turned around to face Hawk. He pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket and gave it to his commanding officer. "Hawk, I've accepted the command of a new unit. I'm leaving G.I. Joe tomorrow morning. If I had known about what the Commission had planned, I'd have waited. It was an honor serving with you and the rest of G.I. Joe." He saluted Hawk, then turned and saluted the rest of G.I. Joe.

Hawk shook Duke's hand. "I understand completely, Duke. You'll be missed by us all." Hawk stepped back to the podium and addressed the audience. "A list of reassignments and honorable discharges will be posted outside of all barracks tonight. It saddens me to say this to some of you a final time. Yo Joe!"

The men and women of G.I. Joe all stood and shouted at the same time. "Yo Joe!"

------------------------

The quarters of Snake Eyes was kept in perfect harmony to his chi. He sat on the floor with his legs crossed in meditation. A single candle lit the room and incense burned next to it. The sound of a soft knock brought his eyes open. Snake Eyes stood and put his latex mask over his scarred face. He opened the door and let Scarlett in.

Scarlett gave Snake Eyes a light hug and turned on a light. She sat on the couch and sighed heavily. "I can't believe this is happening to us, Snake. The G.I. Joe team being shrunk to a handful of men and women. Duke leaving to take another command. All of those soldiers being reassigned and discharged. I never thought this would happen to us."

Quietly, Snake Eyes put on a dress shirt. He then put on a leather jacket. Talking with his hands, Snake Eyes told her how he felt about what was going on. Scarlett nodded as she watched then looked up at him sharply at his last few gestures.

"What do you mean resigning? You can't, Snake. You're too important to the G.I. Joe team to quit. Hell, you're part of the new team." Scarlett watched Snake Eyes say something quickly. She shook her head. "Calm down, Snake. I don't know why the Arashikage Clan needs you. Storm Shadow rejoined them a month ago."

Snake Eyes rolled his sleeve showing the Arashikage hexagram tattoo. He left the room and Scarlett behind. She quickly caught up to Snake Eyes and walked beside him. "I understand now. You're brothers in martial arts. That honor and duty is more important." Scarlett walked next to him until they reached General Hawk office. "I really do understand that you must do this." He nodded and opened the door.

Hawk looked up from his papers at Snake Eyes in slight confusion. "What can I do for you, Snake?" Snake Eyes handed him a plain white envelope, similar to the one Duke had given Hawk at the ceremony. Hawk looked at it and laid it on the desk without opening it. "I don't need to open it to know what's inside it. Discharge granted." Hawk stood and saluted Snake Eyes. "It's been an honor serving with you, soldier. The Joe team and America will miss you." He then shook Snake Eyes' hand. "Personally, the whole world owes you debt of gratitude." 

Snake Eyes nodded and opened the door. Scarlett was about to follow him, when she saw Hawk motion her in. "Yes, Hawk?"

"Have a seat, Scarlett. I have something I want to talk to you about." Hawk paced the office twice and finally leaned against his desk. "I'm having trouble finding a replacement for Duke. I have two choices. Flint and Beach Head. Flint is a good man and a fine soldier, but he's kind of hotheaded at times. As for Beach Head, well, he has all the qualifications but I'm afraid that he's not respected enough by his fellow Joe members to follow his orders. I can't tell you the headache I have."

"I can only begin to imagine, Hawk. The commission seems to have us over a barrel on this one. As for who should be the field leader, I'm stumped. For fairness sake, I'd say make try them both out as field leaders and then choose the best one. I don't know, Hawk. I can't make a choice like this right now." Scarlett leaned forward and dry scrubbed her face. "This is so fucked up."

Hawk looked down at Scarlett and smirked. "That was the first thing I said coming out of the meeting. I'm asking you to help with this choice because it directly affects your new position. Shana O'Hara, congratulations. You're the new secondary field commander." Hawk smiled when he saw Scarlett look up in shock.

"You're joking, right?"

"Afraid not. You've shown me excellent command abilities in the past. Lady Jaye was my other choice. But if Flint is made field commander, I don't want to risk a conflict in interest in the middle of a mission. You don't have to accept you know." Hawk poured two cups of coffee and hand Scarlett a cup.

Scarlett accepted the cup with a nod. "Thanks." She added her cream and sugar packets. She leaned against the wall while she stirred the coffee. "Well, I guess I can't say no. My choice for field commander is Beach Head. With me as his second in command, it should help him gain respect. In all honesty, Beach Head could possibly be the best field commander in or out of G.I. Joe."

Hawk cocked an eyebrow and looked at her. "Sounds like you have a lot of respect for the man."

"I do. But I also feel he needs to loosen up a bit. Not be so strict and rigid. I see this as a challenge. Beach Head is a great commander, just has no sense of touch with his troops. I intend on helping him gain that." Scarlett sipped her coffee and sat back in the chair.

"All right. Good enough of an argument for me. Beach Head it is." Hawk sat behind his desk and started on the paperwork. He looked up at Scarlett who was still in the chair. "You're dismissed. Go on. Get out of here." Scarlett smiled, gave a casual salute and left the office. Hawk then went back to filling out what seemed to be an endless supply of papers.

--------------------------

Taking a long, last look at his quarters, Duke shut the door and stayed there a moment. He then turned on his heel, picked up his bag and headed out of his barracks. He walked along the familiar path to the airstrip. Duke watched the new candidates for the G.I. Joe team go their separate ways. He could almost see the disappointment on their faces.

Half way to the airstrip, Gung Ho caught up with Duke. "Hey Duke! I was just on my way to my plane out when I spotted you. I never got to thank you for saving my ass all those times. I don't know how I can ever repay you."

Duke smiled and looked at his feet, humbled. "I wasn't saving your ass, I was just doing my job. But you're welcome. You can repay me by inviting me to your place for some of your famous gumbo. I've got your home address. You are going home, right?"

"Nah," Gung Ho shook his head, "been transferred back to the Marines. Seems they still have some use for an old jarhead like me. Just glad they're not putting me on the shelf like they did with Leatherneck. Not sure how he's gonna hold up. But he's a Marine, he'll survive."

"He'll be fine. Wouldn't surprise me in the least if he opened a survival school in Nevada or something." Duke looked at his watch and then in the direction of the airstrip. "If you have the time, talk to Hawk. He knows where I'll be. Right now I gotta go. I hate cutting this short. Take care, Gung Ho." Duke shook the bald Marine's hand, then saluted. "Yo Joe."

Gung Ho saluted back. "Yo Joe."

Duke turned and jogged to the airstrip. Once at the airstrip, he saw Snake Eyes waiting. He walked up to Snake Eyes and smiled. "Not staying either, huh?" Snake Eyes simply shook his head no. "So where you off to, Snake?" He rolled up his right sleeve and showed Duke the Arashikage hexagram. "Ah, going to join Storm Shadow, huh? Well, it was great to serve with you, Snake Eyes." Duke went to salute when Snake Eyes grabbed his hand, shook it and gave him a light hug. "Yeah, I'll miss you too. Yo Joe." 

Duke waved to Snake Eyes and ran to his plane. On the way there he said good bye to other members of G.I. Joe. He finally climbed the steps of the stairs, turned and took a final look at the Pit. "Yo Joe," he said quietly and boarded the plane.

------------------------

The lights were slow to flicker on. The room was covered in white sheets and clear plastic. The floor and the coverings were covered in a thick layer of dust. A man in a business suit slowly walked to the table. Once there, he stopped. Never turning to face the doorway he had just entered. He set the briefcase he'd been carrying on the table and opened it. 

The man changed out of the business suit into a blue uniform. He didn't worry about being interrupted. The people he was waiting for wouldn't arrive for another hour or so. He shut the lid on the briefcase and started removing the sheets from the equipment and furniture. He started up the computers and waited patiently.

Upon hearing the coming footsteps, the man donned a blue cloth hood. He turned to see a man wearing a silver mask and a black haired woman in all leather enter the room. The silver masked man spoke in a light Scottish accent. "So Commander, Cobra is through laying dormant?"

"Welcome Destro, Baroness. It is very good to see the both of you again. I trust you're finished with the designs I asked for, Destro?" Cobra Commander asked sitting at the head of the table.

Destro opened the briefcase he had brought in. "Yes I have. Now could you explain your plan to us?"

"Not yet. We're waiting for Major Bludd, Zartan and Firefly. Then we can proceed." Cobra Commander waited patiently with Destro and the Baroness for the others. They finally arrived twenty minutes later. Cobra Commander took the designs from Destro and laid them out on the table. "Lady and gentlemen, I present to you here my newest plan. I plan on building a second pyramid of darkness. With this, it will help Cobra take over the world and bring it to it's knees."

**_TO BE CONTINUED IN "THE COMING DARKNESS"_**

**_PART 2 OF TO RULE THE WORLD_**

   [1]: mailto:Zer0TalentStudios@hotmail.com



	2. The Coming Darkness

G

_G.I. Joe is the codename for America's daring, highly trained special mission force. It's purpose, to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined_

To Rule the World

**_Part 2_**

**_The Coming Darkness_**

[**By Nick Maro**][1]

---------------------

Mike Peterson leaned over the magazine he was reading. He held back a yawn as he turned the page. A customer cleared her throat causing him to look up. He took the items she held and punched them into the cash register. She handed him the exact amount and he went back to reading the magazine. The woman stood in front of him a moment. "Asshole," was all she said.

"Bitch," Mike said casually without looking up. "How you been Sandy?"

"Not too bad," Sandy replied. "I'm in a hurry though. You working tomorrow?"

Mike shrugged as he read. "Probably. Unless I'm called upon to help take over the world."

Sandy let out a light laugh. "Well, in that case good luck." She headed toward the door and held it for a man in a trench coat. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mike."

Waving without looking, Mike replied in his bored tone. "If you're lucky." He closed the magazine and put it aside. He checked his watch and groaned when he realized he still had six hours left on his shift. Mike rubbed his eyes and leaned back. When he opened his eyes, the man in the trench coat was standing before him. "Can I help you, sir?" 

The man stayed silent. Mike noticed that he wasn't carrying anything. He finally spoke slowly and softly. "The serpent uncoils to strike."

"It's about fucking time." Mike smiled wide for the first time in almost a year. He opened the cash register and safe and took out all of the money. He then opened the door to his office. His manager looked up at him. "I quit." Mike pulled a gun out of his jacket and shot his manager six times, emptying the gun. He grabbed a briefcase and went back to where the man was waiting. Mike saluted the man and yelled, "Cobra!"

The man returned the same salute and said calmly, "Cobra."

------------------------

The intercom beeped and the voice of Steve Herbert's secretary came through with a slight hint of static. "Sir, there's a woman here who wishes to see you. Shall I buzz her in?"

Steve kept writing the report that he was working on. "No. I'm busy right now. Tell her I'll see her in a half hour." He kept writing and started humming to himself. Steve looked up when he heard muffled shots of a gun. A tall, raven haired woman came through the door. Steve thought he recognized her. "Well, I guess I can fit you in. How can I help you?"

"The serpent uncoils to strike."

"Finally." Steve went to his closet and pulled out a briefcase and followed the woman out the door. On the way out, he saw his secretary dead in her chair. Steve pulled back a painting and set a timer for two minutes. "We have two minutes before the whole building goes up. Let's not waste time."

Steve and the woman ran down the emergency stairs and exited the building out a side door. They made it a half of a block when they heard the building start to explode. They both turned smiled. The woman and Steve saluted each other and yelled, "Cobra!"

---------------------

Inside the one level, ranch style home, Betsy Unger prepared dinner for her family. She pulled the ham out of the oven and set it on the counter to cool. She checked the potatoes and started to mash them. When everything was ready, she called her family to dinner. She sat down and they discussed the day's events.

Betsy turned her husband, Robert. "So honey, how are things in the office?"

"Nothing exciting as usual. My secretary's boyfriend left her. Like that was a surprise. I heard that the new guy isn't working out at all." Robert pointed to the ham with his fork. "This is good."

"I hate school," Betsy's step-son said quietly. "All the kids tease me about my braces."

"Just find a fault they have and tease them back, honey." Betsy was interrupted by the doorbell. She stood to get it, but Robert got up to answer it.

"Bets! It's for you," he said coming back to the table and sitting down.

Betsy stood and went to the door. A man in a business suit waited there. Before she could say anything, he spoke softly. "The serpent uncoils to strike." Betsy smiled and went back into the kitchen. She grabbed the carving knife she used to cut the ham and stood behind her husband. She grabbed him by the hair, jerked his head back quickly and slit his throat. Her step-son started screaming and ran from the room.

Following her step-son into the living room, Betsy quickly caught up to him. She grabbed his head with both hands and snapped his neck. She let the body fall to the ground. Betsy went upstairs and came down with a briefcase. She saluted the man. They made the familiar battle cry of Cobra. Betsy shut and locked the door behind her. "I never liked kids anyway." The two got into a car and drove off.

-------------------------

A crowd of about three hundred men and women waited below deck of an personal carrier ship. Some wore a blue uniform with a stylized cobra on the chest. While others wore a different uniform with the same stylized cobra on it. They were sectioned off into specialty groups talking amongst themselves. This was only a fraction of the army Cobra had gathered. They were all heading to a location none of them knew.

--------------------------

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya," yelled a man in a faded, blue hooded sweatshirt. He walked up to the door and peeked through the spyhole. There was a woman in a pizza delivery uniform. "What do ya want?"

"Pizza!" the woman yelled through the door. "I got a pizza order here for a Mister Carey. Are ya gonna open up or what?"

The man opened the door a crack and peeked out. "Ain't no Mista Carey here. Ya got the wrong apartment."

"Damn kids. Listen, can I come in and call my boss. I gotta tell him that we just had another crank call." The delivery woman adjusted the weight of the pizza to her other hand. "I'll give you the pizza if you do. Just gonna go to waste anyway. You can't pass up a free pizza."

"Well," the man drawled out slowly. "I suppose that would be okay." He opened the door and the woman handed him the pizza. She noticed he had set down a shot gun. Opening the box lid, the man took slice out and offered it to her. "Be impolite of me if I didn't offer you a slice." The pizza woman refused it. "The phone is this way." The man set the box down and led her into the kitchen.

"Hey who was at the door?" came a male's voice in another room.

"Pizza girl. I let her in so she could use the phone. She gave us the pizza as a payment. Tell the other guys there's pizza on the table." The man turned around to be punched in the face by the pizza girl. He was knocked out instantly.

Cover Girl took the hat and wig off and pulled her pistol out of the back of her pants. She bent over the man and check his pulse. He was breath just fine. She then carefully went into the next room. A second man with his back facing her started eating his pizza. "Freeze! G.I. Joe! Put the pizza down and turn around slowly, hands in the air."

The second man dropped the pizza and slowly brought his hands up. "Y'know Missy. You've just stumbled upon a heap o'trouble." He spun around and quickly pulled a gun. Cover Girl ran to the right as he fired. She fired a shot off and hit him in the arm. He fired again and shot Cover Girl in the stomach. She slumped over and fell to the ground.

As the second man was ready to shoot her in the head, through both the door and the windows the rest of the G.I. Joe field team came crashing through. Beach Head fired and shot the man in the hand holding the weapon. Flint and Scarlett started to search the rest of the house. Beach Head heard a brief struggle. Scarlett was followed closely by Flint. They were both dragging two other men behind them.

"Good work, everyone. Someone check on Cover Girl. I think she took a bullet." Beach Head handcuffed and pushed the second man out the front door.

"I'm alright," Cover Girl rasped. "Was wearing my vest." She coughed once and sat up. Doc was there to check her out. Cover Girl smiled at Scarlett. "Next time, you play the pizza girl."

--------------------------

The Joes gathered in the recreation room in the Pitt. Hawk gave them time off from training due to a successful mission. They had stopped another militia group from blowing up a national monument. It seemed this group of G.I. Joes worked very well together. He was glad to see that his choices were working.

Flint pulled a piece of cloth of his pocket and stared at it. It was a dark blue patch with a faded red symbol on it. He had stared at it the whole trip back. Flint secretly wished he could be fighting Cobra again, not the people of his country. This piece of cloth got his curiosity going. What was it doing in the old apartment anyway?

"Are you staring at the old piece of cloth again?" Lady Jaye asked sitting on the couch next to him. "What's on it anyway? You never did show me?" Flint quietly handed her the cloth. She lightly traced the pattern of the faded image. She looked up into his eyes. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Not sure." Flint said with a shrug. "It might be, it might not. I'm going to have Mainframe give it a run through his computer. Maybe something will turn up there." Flint stood and cracked his back. "Been sitting on my ass for far too long. I'm actually feeling the effects of the mission."

Lady Jaye hid her laughter behind her hand. "You sound like an old fart."

Flint scowled at her over his shoulder. "I'm going to bring that cloth to Mainframe. See you later tonight?" He took the cloth from Lady Jaye and stuffed it into his pocket again.

"Only if Scarlett agrees to take my shift tonight." She waved to Flint as he left the room. Lady Jaye picked up a magazine and went to the featured article on the mysterious building explosion in Boise, Idaho.

"I'm telling you, Jaye," Stalker said sitting next to her, "I'm surprised at how well Beach Head is doing. I thought for sure we'd all have killed him by now." He looked at the front cover and made a face. "Why are you reading news that's three weeks old?"

Lady Jaye threw the magazine on the table in front of her. "Our new leader cut all of our news magazine subscriptions. He said that they distracted us from our training. If researching the places we're supposed to go to is a distraction? Then what the hell does he expect us to do? Not to mention, he's pushing us awfully hard in training. I almost fell asleep today during the stakeout."

Stalker smiled and chuckled. "Face it. We had it easy when Duke was here. Personally, I love the fact we're training so hard again. Reminds me of my ranger days in the Army. Anyway, it's been a month since he's taken over. Be glad you have Scarlett and Hawk are here to make sure Beach Head doesn't push us too hard." Stalker waved his hand in the air. "Anyway, did you hear about the new Russian space station?"

"Yeah. I'm glad to hear that they got the funding for it." Lady Jaye got up and went to get a drink. "Want one?" Stalker nodded and she grabbed a second can. She sat down and handed it to him. "I don't see why Russia didn't just join up with the international station project. I mean, MIR lasted some fifteen years. But that crashed not too long ago. Can they afford another disaster?"

Wiping his mouth, Stalker set the can down and leaned back. "Give them some credit. Fifteen years is a massive achievement. We had SkyLab but that didn't last long as long as MIR. SkyLab's debris did hit parts of Western Australia. Thankfully those parts weren't that populated. I'm not saying that Russia is better, just that it's a good achievement is all."

"All personell report to the debriefing room. I repeat; all personell report to the debriefing room," Dial Tone yelled over the intercom. Stalker and Lady Jaye looked at each other, slumped their shoulders and sighed. They left the room together.

--------------------------

The light reflected off the silver mask Destro wore. He strode with purpose into the command center of the new Cobra Island. Cobra Commander was standing over his holographic table. Destro saw four dots appear on the holographic globe. "The holographic globe showing the locations for the new control cubes is working, Commander?"

Cobra Commander casually looked over his shoulder then back at the globe. "Yes. Is the assembly of the cubes completed? You said you'd a need a month and you're usually good to your word."

"Yes, they're being shipped as we speak. The locations you've chosen are very, ah, unique, Commander. I received word from my men at the first location. They've had no problem from the natives. I'm still amazed at the tribes who still live in the Mexican jungles." Destro stood at the other side of the holographic table.

"Excellent. What about the others? Have they arrived?"

"Yes, Commander. Although, I've been told that the second cube is almost in place as we speak in Nepal. The abandoned monastery's door had to be slightly widened. As a result, the structure is somewhat unstable. We need to reinforce the walls before we can install the cube. It should take no longer than a day. A very minor, but foreseen set back." Destro pressed a few buttons and the holographic globe spun on it axis. "The third cube is now being unloaded off of the ship to the island off the coast of Africa. Finally, we're having some trouble getting to the island for the fourth cube. The United States Navy is patrolling that region. But I hear we will be able to set up by the deadline."

Cobra Commander nodded and smiled behind his hood. "Excellent work, Destro. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet Tomax and Xamot on the mainland. We have a meeting with some men who are willing to see things from Cobra's point of view. At least they will when we're finished talking." The Commander let out a high pitched chuckled as he left the command center.

The Commander nodded as he walked past the Baroness. She nodded back and walked right up to Destro. She gave him a light kiss and turned toward the Holographic table. She pushed her glasses up a bit and studied the globe. "So this what the Commander has in mind, huh? Do you really think this will work again? The G.I. Joe team thwarted us the last time. What makes him think they won't try again?"

"My dear, when have you known Cobra Commander to ever have a doubt in a plan?" Destro took her hand lightly and tugged it. Together they walked out of the command center and into the hallway. They exited the small bunker and looked at the land across the water. They were on an island within an island. "But for the first time, I think the Commander has a back up plan."

A black clad form watched Destro and the Baroness from around a darkened corner. It slowly merged back with the shadows and ran along the wall of the base. It reached the otherside of the bunker and waited for a Viper to finish it's patrol.

The black form ran quickly to the water and dove under immediately. It was a short swim to the other coast. Emerging slowly from the water, the person ran into the woods. About twenty minutes later, it reached the other coast. It dug up a backpack that it had buried earlier. It pulled out a scuba tank, mask and fins. Once ready, the person dived under the water again and disappeared.

After an hour, the black clad form slowly emerged from the icy water. It drooped it's diving equipment as it got out. The spy took off running again. It finally stopped behind a tree. There was a Jeep waiting for someone. A man in a Russian uniform waited by leaning on the side door. The spy let out a bird call. The man returned the call. The black clad spy slowly walked up to the man, pulling off the black hood. Short blond hair tumbled out. The man smiled.

"The mission was successful as expected, Daina?" The man asked in a heavy Russian accent.

Daina smiled and pulled out a waterproof video camera and cassette recorder. "Without a hitch, Colonel Brekhov. We now have proof that Cobra is operational again and is within Russian territory." She poured herself a glass of coffee from the thermos that was on the hood of the car. "You didn't happen to see where a boat leaving the island went, did you?"

Brekhov shook his head. "No. But we must inform the general of what we have found." Together, Daina and Brekhov got into the Jeep and drove to the Russian base their commander in charge of the October Guard was awaiting their report.

--------------------------

Flint sat at the table in the recreation room. He scratched the side of his nose as he read the report of their last mission. The rise of pseudo-militia groups was rising and he wanted to know why. He wished that he could've searched the house they raided more thoroughly. His gut said their was another blue cloth there.

Leaning back in the chair, Flint rubbed his eyes and shoved the report away from him. A pair of hands started rubbing his neck an shoulders. He opened his eyes and looked up at Lady Jaye. "Hey there. You have a great habit at showing up when I need a neck rub the most."

"Oh yeah? Then where are you when I need one?" Lady Jaye stopped and sat on his lap. She leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. She broke the kiss when someone behind her cleared his throat noisily. She looked over her shoulder at Mainframe. "And what do you want?"

"I finished that analysis of the piece of cloth Flint gave me." Mainframe handed the report and cloth to Flint. "The symbol was pretty faded, but of it was intact. You were right Flint, it's a Cobra symbol. But it's a couple of months old. I mean, Cobra did vanish about a year ago, but that doesn't mean they vanished right away. It's just a piece of cloth with a Cobra symbol."

Flint nodded. "Thanks, Mainframe. I appreciate you doing this for me. Now I have a bigger favor to ask. Can you get into the computers at the Pentagon that have all the information on Cobra? The ones that are linked to the satellites that are tracking known Cobra agents and allies."

Mainframe felt his face go pale. "You want me to hack into the Pentagon? Do you know what they'll do to me if I even attem—"

"Not hack. Get into. Big difference."

"I dunno, Flint. I'll try. I'm not promising results here." Mainframe turned and left the room.

"What is with you lately, Flint? Are you trying to show Hawk that you should be the field leader?" Lady Jaye got off his lap and picked up the report Mainframe had brought.

Stuffing the cloth in his pocket, Flint sighed. "No. Yes. I don't know. Maybe. I'm kind of annoyed that Beach Head got the promotion and I didn't. I do have to admit feeling slightly betrayed by Scarlett. She did choose Beach Head over me."

Lady Jaye raised an eyebrow at his last comment. She opened her mouth to say something, when Hawk's voice boomed over the intercom speakers. "All G.I. Joe field team members report to the debriefing room. All G.I. Joe field team members report to the debriefing room. This is not a call to a mission."

Flint and Lady Jaye groaned at the same time. Flint took the report from Lady Jaye and put it in his pocket. Together they walked to the debriefing room.

---------------------------

Colonel Brekhov relaxed in the office chair. He was thankful that he could finally take some time off. He laid in his bed and stared at the ceiling. He wondered how the General was doing in Moscow. It had been a week and still no word. _All the better_ he thought to himself. Brekhov rolled to his side and looked at a picture of his family. _Soon I'll be home to keep you warm, Natasha._

A loud boom jolted him to his feet. Brekhov ran to the window. He saw dozens of black tanks destroying the barracks. Men and women ran is random directions. Some stood their ground and fought. It was a pointless gesture. They were either shot and killed or crushed by the tank treads.

Brekhov ran to his desk and pulled out a copy of the video and audio tapes Daina had made. He opened the door and raced out into the ensuing chaos. He pulled out his pistol and shot any enemy that had gotten in his way. He knew who he had to give these tapes to. Brekhov ran to one of the remaining barracks and prayed they were okay.

-------------------------

Standing over the holographic table, Cobra Commander watched the electronic tanks move back and forth. One by one the red barracks disappeared from the globe. Within a half hour they were all gone. He turned to one of the Tele-Vipers. "What's our status report?"

The Tele-Viper listened to his earpiece for a moment then repeated what was said to the Commander. "Our assault team reports base destroyed. Awaiting body cou—" He was cutoff by an updated reported. "Sir, just received the body count. All dead except for one missing. Shall we pursue?"

"No. Let them go. This is going according to plan. I want all tanks and units out of there now." Cobra Commander started leaving the command center when he turned around for a second. "Patch any further reports to my private quarters and inform Zartan that we will be starting the new pyramid shortly." He left the command center and headed to his quarters. The Tele-Viper let out a long held breath in relief.

---------------------------

In the Alaskan snow-covered wasteland, the white form slowly moved across the snow and ice. Snow had built up on it's arms and legs. Small icicles hung from the mask at the nose and mouth. The person stumbled but regained it's footing and starting walking slowly again. It stopped and looked around. There was nothing but snow and ice for miles. 

The figure started walking again and made it about ten feet before it fell on it's face. It tried getting up, only to fall back into the snow. The figure just laid there. Snow slowly started covering the body and covering it's foots prints.

**_TO BE CONTINUED IN "A WORLD WITH COBRA"_**

**_PART 3 OF TO RULE THE WORLD_**

   [1]: mailto:Zer0TalentStudios@hotmail.com



	3. A World With Cobra

To Rule the World

_G.I. Joe is the codename for America's daring, highly trained special mission force. It's purpose, to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined_

To Rule the World

**_Part 3_**

**_A World With Cobra_**

[**By Nick Maro**][1]

-----------------------------

The snow cat slowly plowed across the snow field. Inside, the two occupants kept an eye on the horizon. The driver was an African-American male and the navigator was a Caucasian with flaming red hair. The driver squinted to see past the windshield wipers. There was nothing but seemingly endless white snow.

The driver turned back to the navigator. "Let's give it up, Snow Job. It's obvious that whoever you spotted on the radar at the base is now quite frozen and polar bear food. There's no point to searching this whole wasteland. Besides, we're almost out of gas."

Snow Job blindly waved the driver aside. "I'm telling you, Iceberg. My gut tells me that whoever they are or were is still out there. This is the area I saw the blip. Just give me five more minutes." Snow Job started putting on his snow gear. "Stop the cat. I'm going to search on foot."

"You're crazy, man! There's nothing out there. It's all in your head!" Iceberg watched Snow Job jump out of the snow cat and start his search. He got up and yelled out the door. "Okay, you have five minutes! Then I'm leaving with or without you and your ghost!" He slammed the door shut to the snow cat.

"I may be crazy, but I know I'm right," Snow Job mumbled to himself. He pulled a small electronic box he kept hidden in his coat. He turned it on and the screen lit up searching for heat patterns. Snow Job was glad he had Mainframe and Dial Tone make this for him when he was a part of the G.I. Joe team. He used it before on arctic missions to find fellow team members trapped under the snow.

Snow Job swept the box in front of him in small arcs. The box began to beep wildly within a few minutes of his search. Snow Job set the box down and started digging where he saw the faint heat pattern on the screen. He dug about two feet down when he hit a clothed body. Snow Job turned his radio on to the snow cat. "Iceberg. Iceberg. Do you copy?"

"I'm here. What's wrong? You sound upset. Get lost on the way back to the snow cat?"

"No you smartass. Lock onto my position and bring the cat here. I found the phantom I was looking for." Snow Job turned the radio off and started digging the body out of the snow. Less than a minute later he heard the snow cat arrive.

Iceberg hopped out of the snow cat and helped Snow Job pick up the body. They put it in the back of the snow cat to warm up. "Next time, don't turn off your radio. How am I supposed to track you then?" He followed Snow Job into the cat. "Anyway, let's see who this is." Iceberg pulled the hood back and removed the ski mask from the face to reveal a woman's face with blonde hair. Snow Job let out a small gasp. "You know this woman?" Iceberg asked. He checked her breathing and found it to be normal.

"Yeah, I do." Snow Job started removing her frozen clothes and wrapped her in a heated blanket. "It's Daina of the October Guard. What the hell is she doing out here?" He opened a pocket on the inside of her coat and found a video tape and an audio cassette. "Now what the hell are these?"

"They're evidence," Daina rasped weakly. "P-proof that C-Cobra is act-active. Mu-must get them t-to G-G-.I. J-Joe at o-once." She opened her eyes and a single tear fell. "Oc-October Guard wa-was ki-killed by C-Cobra." Daina fell back into unconsciousness. Snow Job put another blanket on her.

"We better get back to base, Snow Job. We have to tell the base commander about Daina." Iceberg got back into the snow cat's driver's seat.

Snow Job stayed next to the Russian woman. "We're not telling them about the tapes. I'm sending those to Hawk. If we give them General Dixmoore, he'll only screw things up. Remember why he's here. Anyway, this is my decision and I outrank you. I'll take the consequences."

Iceberg nodded after a moment and kept driving the snow cat. Throughout the drive back, Snow Job and Iceberg traded shifts in keeping Daina warm and bringing her back to normal body temperature. They arrived on the base an hour later. Daina was rushed to the emergency ward immediately. The two former Joe members gave their report but never mentioned anything about the tapes.

----------------------------

A soft knock came from Flint's quarter's door. Flint hid a report on Cobra he got from Mainframe. He got up and opened the door a crack. Mainframe stood there waiting. Flint let Mainframe in. He noticed that Mainframe wasn't carrying any more reports. "Couldn't you get anything more? I don't buy that's the only information on Cobra."

"That's all I could find before I was almost caught snooping around. You're lucky you got that much." Mainframe paced the room. "I'm not going back to look again. I was very lucky I didn't get caught. I'm done."

Flint handed Mainframe a cup of coffee. "It's okay. I didn't ask you to get caught, just find what you could. You did your best. Thanks. Unfortunately, the reports I do have are inconclusive and end about nine months ago. Oh well."

"Mail, Flint." Dial Tone said coming into the room. "Oh, here's yours too, Mainframe." He searched through the pile of mail and gave a small stack to Mainframe. "Hawk got some package from Alaska here. No return address but there's a name. W. Moore." He thought for a moment. "Why do I know that name?"

Looking up from their mail, Flint and Mainframe answered at once. "It's Snow Job."

Dial Tone looked at both men confused. "Harlan W. Moore is Snow Job's real name. He was stationed in Alaska with Iceberg when they were transferred out of G.I. Joe," Flint explained. He took the package from Dial Tone. "I'll take this to Hawk if you don't mind." Flint left his quarters before Dial Tone could answer. 

He jogged down the hall to General Hawk's office. Beach Head was standing next to the doorway. He put his hand on the doorknob before Flint could open the door. "Can't let you in, Flint. Hawk is reaming out Ace for having a poker game again."

"Hawk will want this right away." Flint held up the package from Snow Job.

"Give it to me and I'll make sure Hawk gets it."

"No, I'll give it to Hawk. Out of the way, Beach Head." 

Flint started toward the door. Beach Head grabbed him by the arm. "Now you listen here, Faireborn. I'm the field commander. That means you listen to me now. Now, give me the package."

Jerking his arm loose, Flint shoved Beach Head back. "No. I don't have to do shit. Like you said, you're the field commander. That means you're the commander in the field. Last I checked we're on base. We're equal rank. That means you can't do shit to me. Now get out of the way, Sneedan or I'll force you out of the way." Flint put his hand on the doorknob.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that, Faireborn. I'll bust your ass down to the brig so fast you won't know what hit you. Now stand back and hand me the pac—" Beach Head's verbal threat was cut off by Flint punching him in the jaw. Beach Head rubbed his jaw. "You're in for a world of shit now, boy."

Beach Head punched Flint in the stomach, driving some air out. Flint doubled over, dropping the package. He brought his hands up together and smacked Beach Head across his chin. He stumbled back into the wall hard. Flint punched Beach Head in the solar plexus, driving the wind out of his field commander's lungs. Flint bent over to pick up the package. Beach Head brought his knee up into Flint's face, smashing Flint's nose.

The door to Hawk's office swung open. General Hawk stood in the doorway with anger burning in his eyes. "What the hell is going on out here?" Beach Head and Flint both looked up at the same time. Hawk glared at them both. "Just what are two of my top officers doing beating on each other like they were in a schoolyard brawl?" Neither man said anything. Hawk saw that Flint's nose was broken. He turned to Ace in his office. "You're dismissed, Ace. No more poker games and get Doc for Flint."

"Yes, Hawk." Ace ran out of a side door down a separate hallway.

Hawk pointed into office. "Both of you in here. Now!" The two men meekly walked past Hawk and sat at opposite ends of the office. Flint held his head forward and had the package in his lap. Beach Head rubbed his jaw and spit a tooth into his hand. Hawk sat on the edge of his desk and looked at each man. "Now, which child wants to tell me who started this?" Both men started talking at once. "One at a time. Beach Head you go first."

"I was," Beach Head rasped. He cleared his throat and spoke clearer. "I was waiting for you to finish up with Ace, when Flint came up and demanded to be let in. I told him to wait. He said he had an important package for you. I asked him to give to me and I'd give it to you. He became insubordinate and tried enter your office forcefully. I was forced to stop him and warn him that I'd send him to the brig. He then assaulted me. I was defending myself."

Hawk looked at Flint. "Is that true?"

Flint finished packing his nose with tissues. "Yes and no. Everything up to me becoming insubordinate as he put it. Beach Head tried pulling rank on me by saying he was in charge. As I understand it that's only in the field. When we're on base we're equals. I did punch him first. I'm sorry. I lost my temper. The whole fight was over this." Flint held up the package which had small blood drops on it. "It's from Snow Job. I have no idea what it is." Doc came into the room and started working on Flint's nose.

"Thank you, Flint." Hawk said taking the package and putting it on his desk. "Flint you were right in your thinking. You and Beach Head are equals on base. I want you both to remember that this is not the schoolyard. You're team members. I can't have two of my top officers fighting like children." Hawk paced the room a moment and stopped. "You're both confined to quarters until I can think up a punishment. You're both dismissed." Doc finished with Flint's nose and left the room.

Beach Head and Flint stood and faced each other. They stared at each other for a long minute. Finally, Flint put his hand out. Beach Head shook it firmly. They saluted each other and left the room. Hawk opened the package and read the note Snow Job had included explaining the tapes.

------------------------------

The command center in the Cobra base was a buzz with activity. Cobra Commander stood in the center of it all. Various Cobra tsoldiers and Vipers ran back and forth taking commands and processing data. Destro stood in the doorway impressed. He'd never seen Cobra function like this. He looked at a monitor screen that was tracking the new Russian space station. Destro walked up beside Cobra Commander.

"Amazing isn't it, Destro? Just last year we were humiliated in Washington D.C. But now we have the power to conquer the world." The Commander turned and looked at his ally. "I'm leaving for a few days. I want to put in complete charge of Cobra. I don't know who else to trust this to."

Destro looked at Cobra Command with an expression mixed with astonishment and suspicion. "Just where are you going? You've been leaving more and more frequently. Cobra needs a leader who will stand by them always. I've heard rumors that you've been starting a new army to control the world."

Cobra Commander casually looked sideways at Destro. "O' ye of little faith. Since when did you listen to rumors anyway? Doesn't matter. What's your answer?"

"You can count on me, Commander. I'll make sure that Cobra is better than you left it." Destro paused for a second. "Maybe even win the loyalties of your men and women through victory."

The Commander let out an amused laughed. "I never realized what a dry wit you possessed, my friend. I have complete faith in your abilities. Now I must not be late for this meeting. The future of Cobra and the success of the new Pyramid hinges on this meeting. Which reminds me, tell Zartan that he can activate the Pyramid whenever he is ready. I believe it's time to show the world who it's true master is."

Destro looked at Cobra Commander with curiosity. "Just who are these people you're meeting with? After all, if I'm so trusted you can tell me. Right?"

"Men who are willing to invest and harbor Cobra for a very long time. Let's just put it that way."

"As you wish, Commander. About the last remaining October Guardsman. What am I supposed to do about them? Let them inform G.I. Joe or any other government who cares about the slaughter of the October Guard's base? What about the spy the camera saw outside the base a week back? What am I to do about that?" Destro had a challenging tone in his voice.

"Nothing. When the Pyramid goes up, it's then too late for G.I. Joe or any other do good Samaritan group to stop Cobra. I learned a valuable lesson with our embarrassing defeat in Washington. But that loss also showed me the key. Soon, the world will see it as well." Cobra Commander's eyes shined with a wicked grin behind his hood. "Now, enough talking. I must be off. Have faith in my plan, Destro. It will work." Cobra Commander left the command room and disappeared into an elevator car.

Destro went up a flight of stairs to the observation area. He watched the Cobra soldiers scurry back and forth. He felt the light touch and smell the familiar perfume of the Baroness. He took her hand and kissed it lightly through his metal mask. She sat next to him and watched the troops. "You seem tense, darling. What is the matter?"

"Cobra Commander has gone off to yet another meeting. He's left me baby-sitting Cobra while he's away. He didn't bother to tell me where he was going either. Just that what he is doing will affect Cobra in the long run. It has something to do with the Pyramid of Darkness but I don't know what." Destro got up and began to pace. "He sounded positive that what he was doing will really work. I'm beginning to believe him too.

"You should have heard him. He sounds like a new man. What ever happened to him while Cobra went underground for a year has really changed him. I never heard him talk with such confidence about his plan." Destro sat back down.

The Baroness smiled and pushed her glasses up. "Yes. I've been listening to his speeches to the men. He's like a man reborn. He never was the tactician. But now, now I think he really is. You're right. Something did happen to him. Something that made him see the errors of past plans. Having Serpentor assassinated was obviously a good start."

Destro nodded. "Yes, it was. But now I think it's time I contacted Zartan and told him that he can activate the Pyramid when ready." He stood up and ordered a Tele-Viper to establish a private link with Zartan in his quarters. Destro and the Baroness left the command center to Destro's quarters.

--------------------------------

General Hawk entered the conference room and nodded slightly to Flint, Scarlett, Lady Jaye and Beach Head. He sat at the head of the table and had a grim look on his face. He spread out some photographs and technical read outs before the other Joe members. He spoke softly. "It seems that the video and audio tapes we received from Daina were from a Cobra base near Russia. Ladies, gentlemen. Cobra is back but the Commission doesn't recognize the evidence as proof."

Hawk got out of his chair and began pacing the room's length. "What I'm about to ask of you requires going against the United States Government. The evidence you see before you comes directly from the new Cobra base. Cobra plans on starting a new Pyramid of Darkness. We have the means to stop it, just we lack the manpower." Hawk stopped behind his chair and put his hands on the back of it. "In other words, I propose that we put the band back together."

The four Joe officers looked at each other confused. Finally Beach Head spoke up. "Are you suggesting that we go find the former members of G.I. Joe and bring them back without permission?" Hawk just smiled. "General Hawk, sir. I can't accept that. That's bordering on treason. I'm willing to forgot you suggested that if you dismiss this meeting right now." Beach Head stood to leave.

"Sit down, Beach Head," Scarlett said quietly. "None of us are going to put up with your machismo today. So either you sit down or I will make you sit down. All Hawk did was smile. Don't be like the idiots in Washington and forget what the right thing is. If going rogue is what we need to do to stop Cobra, then so be it. I support Hawk through thick, thin and impossible."

Beach Head looked at the four others, sat down slowly and kept quiet. Flint adjusted the bandage on the bridge of his nose. Lady Jaye set one of the sheets down. "These are some pretty remote areas the control cubes are in, Hawk. Two of which will need specialists to get in and out of. Do you have any idea where the other Joes have been sent?"

Hawk let a smirk slip. "No. But I have some friends in Washington who will supply me a list. It's not completely top secret. We'll just have to be subtle in approaching them for this assignment. I suggest we ask the ones who have been discharged out right to help out." Hawk sat back in the chair and watched his officers.

"I have an obvious question," Flint said slightly stuffed up from his broken nose. "Why don't we just make an all out assault on Cobra Island? I mean, we have the plans. We know what to do. We know where Cobra is. It just makes more sense than attacking each cube."

"The Cobra Island in the Gulf of Mexico has been and is abandoned for the past year. Two days ago a Navy patrol ship did it's weekly check," Hawk explained. "We don't know where this new base is located. Daina of the October Guard has been in a coma ever since Snow Job and Iceberg have found her. The new base is near Russia."

"And the Russians would frown if we started poking our noses in their backyard, right?"

Hawk nodded at Beach Head. "Exactly. So until we get some sort co-operation from the Russian government we're stuck hunting the cubes. I'm going to give a call to my old friend at the United Nations. Maybe he can get permission to enter Russian territory without being shot at." He poured a glass of water for himself. "I say we start on a list of Joes to recruit right away. Any suggestions?"

Scarlett stopped studying a picture. "I say we go for the specialists first. Also, see if you can find where Duke is. I have a feeling we're gonna need him for this. Besides, he'd be pissed if he missed a chance to take care of Cobra again." 

Hawk agreed and asked for the other officers to write down their suggestions. After they had done so, he called the meeting to a close. The five G.I. Joe officers had just agreed to defy given orders and take down a threat their government denied that existed. None of them had any regrets about doing so.

----------------------------

"Well, at least we got the easy job, Cover Girl." Scarlett adjusted her business suit. "We go in, flash the false identification and get Shipwreck the hell out of the slammer." She looked up at the front of the San Diego police station, then at Cover Girl.

"Are sure these will work? Mainframe didn't spend much time on them. They look kinda crappy." Cover Girl looked over the false identification and badge. "They look like something you'd buy at a toy store."

Scarlett headed into the police station. "Put that away and let's go." They both approached the main desk of the police station. The desk sergeant looked up. Scarlett and Cover Girl pulled out their false badges. "Hi, I understand you're holding a Hector X. Delgado. We're Agents Sculder and Mully from the FBI sent to pick Mr. Delgado up for suspicion of treason. I'm sure the local office has called you."

The desk sergeant looked at the two women in confusion. "I'm sorry, but I haven't been informed about anything about that. If you don't mind waiting here, I'll send Chief Lewis out. I'm sure she can sort this all out." The desk sergeant picked up the phone and called the police chief.

Cover Girl and Scarlett sat down and waited for the chief. She came down the stairs about five minutes later. "I'm Chief Lewis. I'm afraid I haven't heard anything about Hector Delgado being suspected for treason."

"Could we please see Mr. Delgado," Cover Girl asked very politely.

"Let me see your identification," Chief Lewis asked. Scarlett and Cover Girl looked at each other and pulled the badges out. Chief Lewis looked them both over. "Well, everything looks in order. He's only in for disorderly conduct. Hardly on the level of treason. I'll put him in your custody and get him while you fill out the paperwork." Lewis led Scarlett and Cover Girl to the desk and looked for the transfer papers. She then left the two.

Ten minutes later, Chief Lewis came out with Shipwreck. She handed them his belongings. "I explained everything to Mr. Delgado on the way out. He denies everything." She checked the paperwork over quickly. "Okay, thank you, Agents Sculder and Mully."

Scarlett and Cover Girl stood on each side of Shipwreck, who was now pleading his innocence, and led him to their car. They put him in the backseat and got in themselves. Scarlett drove away and removed her sunglasses and wig. Cover Girl did as well. "Well, I think we can take those cuffs off of him, Cover Girl."

Cover Girl undid the handcuffs on Shipwreck's wrists. "Okay, what's the catch here ladies?"

"Quick story. Cobra is back with a new Pyramid of Darkness. The Commission doesn't believe Hawk. He's getting the Joes back together illegally and going rogue to stop Cobra. How's that?" Cover girl explained.

"Well, I know I had nothing to do for the rest of the week." Shipwreck sat back in the backseat.

---------------------------

In his hidden cabin in the Florida Everglades, Zartan finished his conversation with Destro. He then called another. After a few moments, a man floating in the air hovered before the monitor. "Yes? Who is this?" the man asked in Russian.

"The serpent strikes." Zartan said and pressed a button on what looked to be a remote control. "You may activate the Pyramid of Darkness on my mark." He placed his finger on a red button. The man did likewise off camera. "Three. Two. One. Mark!" Zartan and the cosmonaut both pressed their red buttons.

Zartan motioned a Tele-Viper over to him. "Inform Destro that the Pyramid has been activated and will be formed in about ten minutes. He has until then to start up the countermeasures for New Cobra Island." He began activating his own countermeasures and leaned back in his chair when he was finished. He knew soon the world would be plunged into darkness again.

**_TO BE CONTINUED IN "UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS"_**

**_PART 4 OF TO RULE THE WORLD._**

   [1]: mailto:Zer0TalentStudios@hotmail.com



	4. Under the Cover of Darkness

To Rule the World

_G.I. Joe is the codename for America's daring, highly trained special mission force. It's purpose, to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined_

To Rule the World

**_Part 4_**

**_Under the Cover of Darkness_**

[**By Nick Maro**][1]

------------------------

The sky turned to a hazy gray. Car engines died, but they still continued going forward. The drivers tried applying brakes, but they were slow to respond. Trucks and cars crashed into each other. Drivers got out of their cars to help passengers or other injured drivers. Thankfully, there were very few fatalities in the city of Amarillo, Texas.

A helicopter that was flying over the traffic, was now on it's way down. The pilot pulled back on the stick trying to slow its decent. The helicopter began wobbling. The pilot tried not to panic. The gray haze started to flicker. It vanished seconds later. The rotors of the helicopter began spinning and the helicopter leveled off. The pilot found a clearing in a field near the highway. He landed the helicopter in the soft grass.

Opening the canopy a crack, Ace waited for the blades to finish spinning. He looked down at the passenger. The passenger adjusted his cowboy hat a little and looked up at Ace. "That was some mighty fine piloting you done there, Ace. But it looks like Cobra is having a bit of trouble with their Pyramid of Darkness. Only stayed operational for thirty seconds."

The helicopter blades stopped and Ace opened the canopy fully. He hopped out and grabbed the two first aid kits. "I noticed. Let's try to help some of the people who are banged up a bit. Then I want to get going before Cobra fixes the Pyramid. Last thing I need now is to try and pull out of a nose-dive again. Let's go, Wild Bill." The two Joe team members ran to the highway. They found an off duty paramedic and gave him the two first aid kits.

Ace and Wild Bill ran back to the helicopter. Wild Bill got into the pilot's seat of the Dragonfly after Ace had insisted. They took off and headed for G.I. Joe base. They arrived eight hours later without further trouble from the Pyramid of Darkness.

------------------------

Cobra Commander stormed into the command room and went right up to Destro. The Commander still wore his silver battle mask. "Just what the hell happened to the Pyramid of Darkness, Destro? I was in talks with potential backers when the lights went out. They were convinced that I could do this. But then less than thirty seconds later, the Pyramid went down. What went wrong?" The Commander's voice was full of rage.

"One of the cubes malfunctioned. It's being taken care of as we speak. We didn't see it until the Pyramid was erected. The current estimated repair time is one day." Destro stood over Cobra Commander watching the leader of Cobra shake in rage. "Think about it this way, Commander. What is one day compared to a lifetime of ruling the world?"

Calming down, Cobra Commander put his arms behind his back and paced the command center. "You have a valid point, Destro. This will also allow the world to know that Cobra has returned. There's nothing like a blessing in disguise." He left the room a moment and returned in his blue hood. On the way back, he stopped a Tele-Viper. "In five minutes I want the Russian space station to send a pirate signal to any communication satellite in the area."

"Yes, Cobra Commander!" The Tele-Viper saluted and rushed to the communication center of the command room.

"If you send your broadcast only to satellites in the area of the station, you won't reach the entire world. I fail to see the logic behind this, Commander." The Baroness asked from a chair near Destro.

"The idea is for the entire world to fear Cobra. Think about it. Only part of the world gets the broadcast. The other part is stuck to wonder what had just happened. Reports begin to spread from areas that received the broadcast to the areas that didn't. The reports will slowly begin to turn into outlandish rumors. Since the only form of communication will be by mouth or in print," Destro explained understanding right away what Cobra Commander had planned. "It's so simple that it's ingenius."

Cobra Commander smiled behind his hood. "You're correct, Destro. This will also help convince our potential backers into helping our cause. For you see, I'm not sending the broadcast near their country. Instead I'm letting them hear it through word of mouth. Much like the attack and slaughter of the October Guard. I learned in my time away how to turn a negative into a positive."

The Tele-Viper the Commander had order to establish the signal, announced they were ready when he was. A second Tele-Viper stood before the Commander with a camera. Cobra Commander stood straight and cleared his throat. "Citizens of Earth. I am known as Cobra Commander. The temporary loss of electrical power you experienced was caused by a new and improved Pyramid of Darkness. Cobra has been gone for a year now. We're back and stronger than ever. I am giving the nations of Earth twenty-four hours to prepare for the permanent establishment of the Pyramid.

"In case you hadn't noticed. The Pyramid prevents electrical reactions to happen. This means no more lights, no more cars, no more trains, no more planes, no more computers. In fact, in a way I'm helping the environment by doing this." The Commander let out a small laugh. "If a country decides to house and protect Cobra, they will be given their electricity back. Remember, you only have twenty-four hours to prepare for life without electricity. COBRA!" Cobra Commander thrust both arms out, his hands in fists. He stood like that until he was given a clear sign.

"No demands, Commander?"

The Commander looked at the Baroness. "The demands were there. Just had to know where to look." He turned back to the doorway and looked over his shoulder. "Destro, you're still in charge. See that the Pyramid is up in twenty-three hours. I want it up before the world has a chance to prepare for it. The chaos going of it up early will help our cause." He left the command room to meet his private boat.

--------------------------

General Hawk shut off the monitor and turned to the team of G.I. Joes he'd gathered. He walked up to a podium and put his hands on each side of it. His voice was low and calm. "First, I want to thank those who decided to lend hand in defeating Cobra. You were explained the risks involved and have joined us anyway. Are there any questions before I begin?"

Several hands shot up. Hawk called on Cover Girl. "I was wondering where Duke was."

"I knew someone was bound to ask that." Hawk laughed to himself. "I tried tracking Duke down in his new command, but it's apparently classified. I pulled all the strings I could and came up empty. Any other questions?" No one else raised their hands. "Let's get started then." 

Hawk turned on a projector that showed a map of the world. Four locations were highlighted. He turned a laser pointer on and pointed at the first location. "I first want to say that we don't have permission from any of the following governments to find and destroy the control cubes. The first cube is in a temple on Sundar, a mountain in Himalayas mountain range. The Nepalese government is currently in a state of confusion with the recent events in the royal family. So there should be no involvement from their military. Snow Job will head this mission along with Iceberg, Alpine and Bazooka."

General Hawk pointed at an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. "The next cube is located here. It's an island some ninety miles southwest of Manua Islands of Samoa. Cutter will head this mission on the water. Once you hit the beach, Stalker will take command. Torpedo, Gung-Ho and Low-Light will help disable the control cube.

"The next cube is located off the coast of the African continent." Hawk pointed to a small island off the western coast of Africa. "Boa Vista, Ilhas de Barlavento. It's controlled by the Brazilian government. Reports show that it should be easy to get on and off the island without being detected by the Brazilian military. Keel Haul will take Roadblock, Leatherneck, Wet-Suit and Shipwreck to the island on the USS Flagg. Roadblock has command of this mission."

Shipwreck shifted in his seat. "Well, that's not a surprise."

Hawk shot Shipwreck a silencing glance. He highlighted the last control cube. "The last cube resides here. In Oxtotipac, Mexico. It's deep in the jungle atop an old Aztec pyramid. I don't need to tell you not to damage the pyramid. Flint is charge of this mission. I'm also assigning Recondo, Lady Jaye and Wild Bill for this mission. The Mexican military security is tight, so a good luck is in order.

"Now, as for Scarlett and Cover Girl." Hawk highlighted an island off the Russian coast. "I want you both to get as much information as you can about this island. We can't attack it outright because of the Russian government. I want to know everything there is to know about it. Dial Tone and Mainframe will assist you in anyway possible."

Mainframe stepped forward holding a small electronic device. "I was lucky enough to capture the wave length the Pyramid operates on. I made four devices that will block the frequency of the Pyramid. This will allow you to use any kind of electronic device within a hundred foot range. It's the best I could do on short notice."

General Hawk took the podium once Mainframe left. "Great work, Mainframe. The four will do for now." He glanced at his watch for a moment. "We have about fifteen hours to get to each control cube. So no more wasting time talking about it. Yo Joe!" The Joe members seated before him shouted the familiar battle cry.

------------------------

Scarlett paced her quarters. It was a little past ten in the evening. She looked at the phone for what seemed to be the hundredth time that minute. Mentally, she debated calling Snake Eyes in Japan. She felt he really should there helping the G.I. Joe team out. Scarlett picked up the receiver and dialed the number for the Arashikage Clan. 

The phone rang on the other end a couple of times before it was picked up. The voice was familiar, but she couldn't place it. "Arashikage Dojo. Hiro Bayushi speaking. How can I help you?" the man asked in a Japanese accent trying to sound professional.

"Uh, my Japanese isn't as good as it used to be. Do you speak English?" Scarlett asked continuing to pace.

The man switched to English quickly. "Yes. How may I help you?"

Scarlett cleared her throat. She thought his English accent had a slight Los Angeles dialect. "My name is Shana O'Hara. I was wondering if Hebime or Tommy Arashikage were available. I'm an old friend of theirs from the United States."

"Do you have a video phone monitor?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Turn it on and hold on a second." The man put her on hold while she turned the monitor on. A few seconds later she was greeted by a face she hadn't seen in almost a year. A young man with wild green hair and an equally green goatee smiled at her. "Hebime and Tommy aren't here right now, Shana. They're in town with some of the new recruits. Care to leave a message?"

Scarlett hung her head and looked up a second later. "No, just let them know I called. By the way, what's with the new look and name?"

David Gabor laughed. "I'm just taking time off from the band and everything. Kyoko, Yukio and I decided to get out of the States for a bit. At least I'm not faking my death this time." He winked and laughed at his own private joke. "It's a long story. I'll let them know you called, Shana."

"Okay. Thanks, David. Take care now." Scarlett turned off the video call and left her quarters. She headed for the intelligence room where Cover Girl was busy doing research on the new Cobra Island.

--------------------------

The four teams of G.I. Joe members had left early the previous afternoon. General Hawk sighed to himself and dialed the number for Vladamir Volkov's office in New York. The phone rang once and was answered by woman's voice. "Representative Volkov's office. How may I direct your call?"

"I was hoping to talk with Mister Volkov. It's a matter of urgency." Hawk set the phone on speaker phone as he paced his office in nervous anticipation.

"I'm sorry, sir. But Mister Volkov has stepped out for the day." Hawk swore quietly to himself. He forgot about the time zones. "Could you call back tomorr—. Hold on, sir. He just entered the office. Please hold while I transfer you to his desk. Whom may I say is calling?"

Hawk cleared his throat. "General Clayton Abernathy of the United States Army. Tell him it's a matter of urgency." He watched out the window while he waited for his old friend to answer.

"This is Vladamir Volkov. What can I do for you, General?"

"Vladamir, I'm glad I got a hold of you. I'm sure you saw the broadcast that Cobra made. I was wondering if the Russian government was aware of it." Hawk finally sat down in his chair.

"Yes. I contacted them immediately. Thank you for your concern, General. Now I must bid you good day." The Russian man hung up the phone. Hawk just stared at the phone in disbelief. He reached over and hung up the phone.

A soft knock from his office door brought him out of his thoughts. "Come in."

Cover Girl opened the door and handed Hawk a report folder. "That's what Scarlett and I have been able to get so far. Something the matter, Hawk?"

Hawk looked up from the report. "Hm? Oh. Nothing. Just confused about something." He scratched his forehead and pushed out from behind his desk. He got up and paced the office again. "I just tried calling my old friend Vladamir Volkov. I wanted to ask him if he knew about the broadcast that Cobra had done. He acted like he didn't know me. It was the oddest thing."

"I don't know what to tell you, Hawk. Maybe he's under pressure from the Russian government not to talk about it. A lot of governments do that." Cover Girl shrugged her shoulders.

"No, I got the feeling he didn't know who I was. Like he was a different person." Hawk stared at a picture of him and the Russian man together. "You don't think Cobra could be involved? Using synthoids again? I wouldn't put it past them to try something like that again."

Cover Girl was about to answer when the lights in the office started to flicker. Hawk and Cover Girl stared at the ceiling for a moment. The lights' flickering quickened then finally stop. The lights went dead. All the other electronics went out as well. Cover Girl sighed to herself. "Cobra Commander made good on his promise." She looked at the light gray haze out of the window.

Hawk swore under his breath. "Why am I surprised that he's an hour early? Get Scarlett, Mainframe and Dial Tone. Meet me in the war room. We have to discuss what you've uncovered so far." Cover Girl saluted and left the office. Hawk looked at the picture again then left the his office and headed to the war room.

-----------------------

The light gray haze formed around the four figures that were scaling the side of the frozen mountain. Alpine reached the top of the mountain and helped Bazooka up. Bazooka looked around at the gray haze that was all around him. "Looks like Los Angeles," he said in his gravely voice.

Alpine helped Iceberg and Snow Job up. He stood next to Bazooka and looked around. He waved his hand in the air. "Nah. LA is much worse. Your lungs would get filled with this garbage." Alpine glanced over his shoulder at Snow Job and Iceberg. "Let's go help them set up camp, Dum-Dum."

Snow Job started to hammer the serrated stake into the rock for the tents. Iceberg was looking at the map. He pulled out a red grease crayon and marked their location. "If we leave at dawn, we can make it to the control cube in a half day. Now who has cooking duties?"

"I'll take it. I don't think I can take Bazooka Surprise again. Alpine, keep the tent stiff while I tighten this all up." Snow Job waited for Alpine to hold it steady. He then hit each stake a final time and tied the strings supporting the tent. "Okay, one more and we're finished." Snow Job looked over his shoulder to Bazooka. "Hey Bazook! Go gather some wood wouldja?"

"Nuh-uh." Bazooka shook his head.

Snow Job looked at Bazooka somewhat confused. "Why not?"

"Cobra might see the smoke." Bazooka smiled.

"We're a half a day away from them, Dum-Dum! Go get the wood. I'm hungry and freezing little Alpine off." Alpine held the support pole for Snow Job on the next tent.

Bazooka shrugged and disappeared into the thinly wooded forest. Iceberg looked up from the map. "That was unusually smart of Bazooka to think of the smoke giving away our position. Maybe we should err on the side of safety just this once."

Snow Job finished with the fourth and last tent. "After we cook some food. We'll put the fire out. We do have the counter measure device for the Pyramid so we can use the silent generators and the electric blankets." Alpine and Iceberg slowly agreed with Snow Job.

----------------------

The old jeep bounced over the rocky terrain. The passengers inside held on to it's sides tightly. Recondo drove the jeep over the smaller rocks that were sticking out of the dirt road. Wild Bill and Flint held the crate in the bed steady. Lady Jaye carried the jammer that Mainframe had given her. The jeep bounced over a large rock in the road and landed hard. A loud thud sounded from under the vehicle.

Recondo got out and looked under the jeep. He slowly stood up and brushed the dust off of his pants. "Well, that does it. Engine fell out after that last boulder. Flint, Wild Bill let's unload the crate and get moving." Recondo walked to the back of the jeep and helped pull the crate off the back of the dead jeep.

"I think you can turn the jammer off now, LJ," Flint said opening one end of the crate. "We won't need it till later and I want to save the battery power. Who knows what Mainframe rigged up to power that thing." He cleared out some of the packing material and put it in the back of the jeep. He pulled out a brand new mountain bike, then three others.

Wild Bill tipped his hat up a bit and scratched his forehead. "I don't like these things, Flint. They ain't natural like riding a horse or flying a copter. They're flimsy as all heck too." He scratched his mustache while frowning at the bikes.

Lady Jaye put the jammer in her backpack and started inflating the tires on her bike. "Right now Bill, it's the only transport we have. The jeep is totaled and walking isn't an option here. Now I'm sure Recondo packed a pair of training wheels in there for you." She handed the pump to Flint and adjusted the tension on the spring for the rear tire.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary, LJ. I grew up riding bikes as a kid," Wild Bill said after looking his bike over. "How do you think I learned to ride a motorbike?" He smiled and started inflating his tires. He tested the tension on the shocks.

Flint looked at his watch. "Okay Joes, let's can the talk and get moving. We're ahead of schedule, but not by much. Recondo, you lead the way." Flint and the other Joes made a quick check of the weapons and supplies. Once ready, they got on the bikes and coasted down the hill.

Recondo led them down a path that was freshly cut. It was steep, but still level enough for them to ride safely down. Near the bottom of the hill, Recondo stopped his bike and held his hand up for the others to stop. They stopped just silently. Recondo hopped off his bike and disappeared into the dense jungle.

Lady Jaye opened her mouth to question where Recondo went. Flint held up his finger to his mouth. The sound of a brief struggle caused them each to turn in the direction they heard it come from. Moments later Recondo appeared and motioned them to follow him. They did slowly at first then quickened their pace. They found Recondo standing in front of an unconscious Cobra soldier he had tied up.

Each G.I. Joe member looked at Recondo confused. "It's a Cobra soldier. So what?" Lady Jaye said bluntly.

"No, it's not." Recondo took the helmet and pulled the scarf covering his mouth down. Each Joe recognized the blonde man in front of them. "It's Duke."

**_TO BE CONCLUDED IN "HOLLOW VICTORY"_**

**_PART 5 OF TO RULE THE WORLD_**

   [1]: mailto:Zer0TalentStudios@hotmail.com



	5. Hollow Victory

To Rule The World

_G.I. Joe is the codename for America's daring, highly trained special mission force. It's purpose, to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined_

To Rule the World

**_Part 5_**

**_Hollow Victory_**

[**By Nick Maro**][1]

-------------------------

The acidic stench brought Duke awake instantly. He tried to rub his aching jaw only to find his hands tied behind him around a tree trunk. His mouth was dry, his tongue rubbed against a dry rag that acted as a gag. He looked around and tried to get a feel for his surroundings. The night sky showed through the grey haze. Four tents were set up before him. 

The face of Flint popped up in front of him. He scowled at Duke. "You have a lot to answer for, traitor." He removed Duke's gag. "For starters, is this the top secret outfit you were bragging about heading? Well, is it?" Flint grabbed Duke by his shirt and thrust him back against the tree. Duke let out a groan.

Duke looked Flint in the eye. "I," he rasped, "think I can see how you'd come to conclusion that I'm with Cobra." He looked down at the uniform he was in. "Could I have some water please. My throat is as dry as the turkey you cook, Flint." Flint paused and reached for a bottle of water that was behind him. He poured a little water in Duke's mouth. Duke swallowed the water and smiled.

"Thank you," Duke said in a clearer voice. "As I was saying, I'm not a part of Cobra. I knocked out a Cobra soldier about a half mile up the trail I was on. I saw Recondo and tried to get away. But he caught me and knocked me out before I could explain." Duke fiddled with the rope that bound his hands to the tree trunk. "Any way I can be cut free?"

Lady Jaye, Wild Bill and Recondo stepped out from behind Duke and looked at him. "Show us where you left the body and your clothes, traitor?" Lady Jaye pointed a rifle at him. "You move and the jungle critters will be eating traitor brains for dinner." Flint cut the rope. He tied Duke's hands behind him again. Lady Jaye kept the rifle pointed at him. "Stand up and start walking. You try to run, I'll kill you."

Duke nodded and started walking west down the trail. Recondo walked beside him carrying a chemical light. The chemical light didn't need electricity, it used chemical reactions. The pale blue light illuminated the jungle eerily. Duke led the four Joe members down the worn path. They walked in silence. Duke stopped and nodded at clearing. "The body and my uniform should be under some leaves and branches."

"I'll go look," Flint said starting his own light. After a few minutes looking, he shook his head. "Nothing. Not a trace of a body or any clothes. So where are they, traitor?"

"I left them there! I swear I did." Duke's voice wavered with shock.

Flint looked at the other Joes and finally smiled, chuckling under his breath. "Okay, I can't hold it anymore. Bill, free Duke." Flint bent over and started laughing harder. "I'm sorry, Duke. It's just the look on your face when I said that I couldn't find them. That was too much." Flint straightened up and hugged his old friend. 

"Recondo found the body and your uniform after we had tied you up," Lady Jaye explained after hugging Duke. "We didn't know what to do. Flint told Recondo to check the path for any other Cobra troops. He found the dead soldier's body and your uniform. Recondo buried the body a little further into the jungle. We kinda figured you killed the soldier. Your uniform is back at the camp. Mind explaining what had happened?"

Duke frowned. "After I left G.I. Joe, I was reassigned to a new secret operations team, codenamed Action Force. Within the first few weeks, I'd seen about as much action in the first year Cobra was around. We were the ones taking down foreign terrorists. As I understood it, G.I. Joe was the team that would take the spotlight and help keep Action Force secret. I watched your success of taking down militia groups around the United States while I helped keep the world safe from international terrorism.

"Action Force was a military team created by NATO countries. We were the best soldiers those countries had ever produced. I was surprised and honored to be even considered to act as the team leader. We were ordered to dismantle the Pyramid of Darkness Cobra was building. The team was given access to all the information we needed. I decided attacking the Mexican location would be the easiest. So, the Action Force team watched Cobra in secret for weeks. 

"When Cobra was almost finished, we started to make our move on the control cube. We were attacked by a Cobra recon patrol. They took us by total surprise. Action Force was wiped out almost immediately. I survived by hiding under the dead bodies of my teammates. I'm lucky Cobra doesn't check to see if anyone has survived. I waited under the bodies for several hours, then pulled myself free. I stayed up all night burying my fallen friends. The next day I went for the control cube. I came across part of the same recon patrol and killed them. I took the uniform of one of the troopers so I could get inside the Cobra camp and destroy the control cube."

Duke looked at his friend with sadness and vengeance burned in his eyes. "Action Force was destroyed yesterday and I plan on taking down Cobra once and for all. I assume you're coming along for the fun, right?"

Wild Bill smirked. "Duke, I'm just glad you're back and all. I'm sorry to hear about your team. And I think I speak for us all when I say lead the way." 

"I couldn't have put it better myself, Bill. Duke, I'm putting you in command of this team. This is an unofficial change of command, but right now I don't think any of us give a shit." Flint handed Duke a spare pistol.

"Thanks, Flint." Duke put the pistol in his holster. He pointed at Lady Jaye's rifle. "By the way, you should be more careful with that thing. What if it went off while you were pointing it at me?"

Lady Jaye and the other Joes started chuckling. She pointed the rifle at him and pulled the trigger. It clicked. "There weren't any bullets in the chamber or clip. I had to make it look real when we were threatening you. After Recondo found the body and your uniform, we knew you were innocent."

"I'm just glad you're on my side. Let's get back to camp." Duke and his old friends started walking back. The other Joes updated him as they walked back to were they had made their temporary base.

--------------------------

The Whale hovercraft drifted quietly to the coast of the small island. A vague image of it shimmered in the setting sun's light. Cutter was using both the jammer, for the effect the Pyramid of Darkness caused, and the cloaking device he'd received during the false of cession of the States that Cobra had planned out a year ago. The light around the hovercraft was bent. But heat and noise could still be detected.

The island the control cube was on, was about ten miles across. Cutter had landed the hovercraft on the opposite end of the island and turned off the engine about half way from the island. It had drifted almost to the spotted he'd wanted it. He gave Stalker the signal to disembark the Whale. "When you get off the Whale, mark where it's at in the sand. Nothing too obvious though."

"Gotcha, Cutter," Stalker said making a final check on his equipment. He applied some black grease paint under his eyes. He turned and addressed his command. "Okay men, this is it. I am your God for this mission. Cobra is on the other side of this island with their control cube. Our job today is to destroy this pile of crap and save the world. Now I know there are three other teams out there with the same objective. We can't think of them right now. No second guessing. We just assume they've failed and it's up to us. Only one cube needs to be destroyed. If more than that get destroyed, all the better. Now let's get out there and kick some serpent ass! Yo Joe!" The other Joes echoed his battle cry with their fists in the air.

Cutter lowered the ramp that led to the inner belly of the hovercraft. The four Joes ran out maintaining their silence. Stalker stopped at the edge of the jungle and made a mark pointing to the hovercraft. He then started cutting a trail for the Joes to follow. Low-Light kept a watchful eye out for Cobra troops. "I really wish you'd brought the jammer with, Stalker. I could watch for Cobra much easier that way."

Stalker kept cutting a trail through the jungle. "Cutter needs it to keep the Whale cloaked. The island isn't that big and it's mostly flatland. Kinda reminds me of Vietnam. Just keep an ear out for anything out of the ordinary."

"The whole jungle is making out of the ordinary sounds, Stalker," Gung Ho mumbled under his breath.

"Now you know how we feel coming into the swamps to see you, Gung Ho. Never know what's lurking in there." Torpedo watched the edges of the jungles. "Why didn't just stay on the Whale tonight? We're going to have to set up camp shortly anyway, Stalker."

"We have a time limit of sorts. The closer we get, the better. The cube is ten miles through dense jungle and we have the make our own path. I figure we should keep going for another two hours then break for camp." Stalker kept blazing the trail. 

The Joe team kept up the rigorous pace. They finally stopped and made camp. Each man took a turn at keeping watch. They started moving again an hour before dawn.

------------------------

Roadblock tackled Shipwreck out of the way. Bullets flew over their heads. He sat up and fired back, giving Shipwreck cover to get back to the bunker they'd taken over. Shipwreck quickly ran back inside the bunker, he grabbed a fresh clip and loaded it into his rifle. He joined Wet-Suit and Leatherneck in giving Roadblock cover fire so he could get back to the bunker.

"Had to go and take the bait, didn't you?" Leatherneck sneered at Shipwreck.

"I figured there was going to be a few Cobra soldiers in that bunker, not ten BATs. I thought we'd destroyed them all." Shipwreck shot the arms off an oncoming BAT. "Next time when I hear gears moving, I won't go and investigate."

Wet-Suit laughed as he destroyed a BAT that was almost near the bunker. "Old Shipwreck there is a regular Scooby Doo. Next thing you know he'll be asking for a Scooby Snack." He launched a grenade at group of BATs who picked it up and stared at it. They disintegrated within seconds. "I think Cobra programs them to be dumber and dumber each time we encounter them."

Slamming the door behind him, Roadblock grabbed Shipwreck by the shirt. "Didn't I tell you to wait? Just what the hell were you thinking, Delgado? You almost got all of us killed with that bonehead move. My orders were that if you heard anything out of the ordinary, you tell me first! Not investigate it for yourself! We just wasted valuable ammo on those BATs. Ammo that could've been used in destroying the control cube." Roadblock let go of Shipwreck's shirt.

"The BATs could've been stopped if we had turned off the jammer," Wet-Suit pointed out.

"Thinking rationally isn't common in the middle of a firefight. But now we need to pack up and get moving. Cobra is bound to know we're here." Roadblock grabbed his backpack. He threw Shipwreck's backpack to him. "Next time be more careful out there. You may not have any of us to watch your back for you."

The four Joes cautiously left the safety of the bunker and moved quickly across the open field. They kept they head low and ducked into the tall grass when they heard movement. They entered the sparse forest and arrived at the field the control cube was located a few hours later. Roadblock moved the Joes further back into the forest.

"We'll wait here until nightfall. Until then, I want to surveillance for their shifts and guard duties." Roadblock pulled his binoculars off his neck and handed them to Shipwreck. Shipwreck took off leaving Roadblock and the other Joes. The three others rested against trees watching in different directions for Cobra.

-------------------------

The group of Joes slowly looked at the bottom of the cliff. An ancient Nepalese temple sat there. Tents and Hiss tanks surrounded the temple. Cobra soldiers went about their business. Snow Job brought his binoculars to where the temple walls had been brought down. "I don't see any place we can sneak in. Maybe if we knocked out one of the Ice Serpents. How do you think of that, Iceberg? Iceberg?"

Snow Job turned around to see why his friend didn't answer. Iceberg, Alpine and Bazooka each had their hands up and weapons on the ground. They were face to face with twenty Cobra soldiers and arctic troopers. Snow Job put his weapons down and swore under his breath. The Cobra soldiers took their weapons and gear and guided them down the mountain path to the base. The Joes were put into a cell together and left unrestrained.

Alpine paced the length of the cell. A Cobra guard banged on the bars and yelled for him to sit down. He sat next to Bazooka and bounced his leg in impatience. "I guess you were right about the smoke from the fire, Bazook."

"Back away from the door and keep your hands where we can see them," a guard yelled opening the door to the cell. He pointed at Iceberg. "You, come with us. It's time to answer a few questions about why you're here. Move it!" He pointed a rifle at Iceberg and motioned him out with it's barrel. 

Snow Job got up to object, but was knocked down by the stock of a guard's weapon. "Stay down and keep still!"

"Do what they say, Snow Job. I'll be okay. We'll get out of this some way." Iceberg turned to his captors. "Let's get on with it then." 

The Cobra soldiers brought him to a small tent. They told Iceberg to sit in the chair. He did as told. His hand were bound behind him to the chair legs. A bright light shined into his eyes. He saw a shadowed figure stand in front of him. "Welcome to Sundar, G.I. Joe. I'm sure that you recognize me."

Iceberg stared into the one eye of the man before him. "Major Bludd. What's the matter? Couldn't Cobra Commander stand to see you around the snakes nest anymore?" He was fiercely backhanded by Major Bludd. Iceberg spat some blood into the snow. "Guess I hit a nerve, eh?"

Major Bludd started to backhand Iceberg again. A Tele-Viper entered the tent and handed him a piece of paper. Major Bludd put his arm down. "Consider yourself lucky, Joe. Cobra Commander has heard of your capture here. You and your friends are now prisoners of war. You will be treated as foreign dignitaries so you cannot say that Cobra is cruel." He turned back to the Tele-Viper. "Show our guest and his friends to their new quarters. They are not to be harmed."

Saluting, the Tele-Viper escorted Iceberg to a large tent. Food had been set out as well drink. Moments later, the three other Joes joined Iceberg. They were left alone. They each looked around suspiciously, then looked at each other. "I get the feeling that there's something else going on here other than the Pyramid of Darkness," Iceberg said looking at the food. "Major Bludd said that we're to be treated as foreign dignitaries. Since when is Cobra that polite?" The other Joes sat down and started talking about what they should do.

-----------------------

The command room of Cobra Island was alive with activity. Destro watched the activity with the Baroness beside him. He glanced at her and smiled behind his polished, metal mask. Things were going better than expected. Cobra Commander's plan was going as it should have. The negotiations with several powerful countries were going along smoothly. All bumps in the road were removed.

A Crimson Guardsman approached Destro and the Baroness. He had a blonde man in a dark uniform behind him. Destro turned and frowned behind his mask. "Guardsman, take those shackles off of the good General this instant. We pose no threat to him and he to us. Isn't that right, General Abernathy? Or do you prefer General Hawk?"

Hawk rubbed his wrists where the handcuffs were. "Hawk will do for now. I only regret that I was captured before I was able to stop you."

Destro laughed deep and loud. "You G.I. Joe really are an amusing bunch. Yes, we have effectively shut down the planet from using electricity. But we've only done so in retaliation of being persecuted by virtually every government on the planet. But, if you watch the monitors, I think you'll find something very interesting." Destro gestured to the monitors that had images from the four control cubes.

"Just what am I looking at?"

"Your men at the Nepal location are guests of Cobra. The teams at the other locations have the option of being corpses or guests." Destro glanced back at Hawk. "I hope they'll be guests. I would so hate having their deaths on my mind. But take your time making your decision. While you are, tell the Baroness and I how you came to our island." Destro patted a chair for Hawk.

Hawk sat in the plush chair and sank a little. "I do this only under protest. I used a jamming device that Mainframe had developed and attached it to a Skystriker jet fighter. The jammer gave me a large enough bubble to operate the fighter. I had enough fuel to make it to most of the way. I prepared for this situation. Ejecting out before the plane could crash into the water, I grabbed an inflatable emergency raft. I was only a mile from this island. I'm guessing the plane crashed close enough to the island that you saw it and alerting you to a possible intruder.

"Rowing to shore, I hid the raft under a tarp once I got there. I ran through the forest the maps I had showed. Avoiding a patrol, I put on a diving suit and swam to this island. I got out of the wet suit and avoided another patrol. I was able to slip inside with the use of a personal cloaking device that bent the light around me. I was caught in your new synthoid lab." Hawk looked directly at Destro. "Tell me what you have done with Vladamir Volkov, the Russian United Nations representative."

The Baroness looked at Hawk with a curious expression. "You came all this way to find out about some unknown politician? Unbelievable what you Americans would call standards."

Hawk glared at the raven haired beauty. "He was my friend. Now what has happened to him?"

"Comrade Volkov is one of those bumps in the roadthat had to be smoothed out. Had we known he had such high powered friends, we would've found another way of dealing with him." Destro paced the length of the observation deck. "Now, come stand with me while we watch the fruition of Cobra's efforts."

Slowly Hawk rose from his chair and watched the monitors next to his sworn enemies.

-----------------------

Cutting through some brush, Stalker held up his hand. The other Joes stopped behind him. Stalker pushed some leaves aside to show the Cobra base and the control cube. He backed the Joes up and started pushing through the brush, marking trees as he passed them. The group stopped again and Stalker turned to them. "We'll wait here and watch until dark. Then we'll split up one by one and act as a distraction for Gung-Ho to plant the explosives. Any questions?"

The three other Joes shook their heads and turned to watch the Cobra's troops. Torpedo furrowed his brow after watching for a few minutes. "Is it me or does it look like they're packing up? What the hell?"

"Hmmm, looks like you're right," Low-Light said after watching for a few minutes.

"Okay, we hang back for a half hour. It could be a trap. If they're still packing up, we'll attack then." Stalker sat on a log and watched Cobra continue to load crates and boxes.

-----------------------

Running through the trees of the Mexican jungle, the four G.I. Joes and one former member came into sight. They were met by what they'd least expected. One control cube and no Cobra soldiers. They looked at each other in confusion. Lady Jaye looked around at their surroundings then finally at the black cube. "Okay, I give up. Where did they go?"

Recondo looked at the tracks that the trucks had left. "Looks like they're traveling east. They could be meeting a cargo ship on the coast over there. As for why they left, no clue. The Pyramid is still active, so the other Joe teams haven't been successful yet. Flint, do we plant the bomb or what?"

Flint walked cautiously up to the cube and studied it. "Doesn't look booby trapped or rigged in any way. But that doesn't mean anything. We'll use the remote detonator. That way no one gets hurt." He took the bomb from his backpack and set it on the side of cube carefully. He backed away slowly, but nothing happened. He handed the detonator to Duke.

"Let's get back into the jungle, troops. Cobra may have planted traps inside the cube." Duke led the team to the edge of the jungle from where they had come. "Wild Bill, turn the jammer on just in case." Wild Bill pulled the jammer out and flicked the switch on it. Duke turned to the others and gave a small smile. "Time to avenge Action Force." They smiled back. He put his thumb on the button of the detonator.

------------------------

Firing at the passing trucks and tanks, Roadblock pushed his team back into the forest. The last of the Cobra convoy passed them. Shipwreck looked at the team leader. "Well, what do you make of that?"

"I have no idea. It's not like Cobra to abandon something this important to their plans." Roadblock started walked back towards the control cube. "Notice how they were shooting around us and not at us? It was almost like they were missing on purpose. I don't like this one bit."

The black cube sat before them. Leatherneck frowned. "I got that feeling in the pit of my stomach that somethin' ain't right here and this time it's not just Wet-Suit. I say we blow this baby up and get the hell outta here."

"For once I find myself agreeing with the Jarhead here," Wet-Suit mumbled looking the cube over.

"Okay, lets plant the bomb and move." Roadblock grabbed the explosive from Shipwreck's backpack and planted it near the base of the cube. He set the timer for ten minutes. The Joes started running back the way they'd originally came. The USS Flagg waited for them off shore.

------------------------

Major Bludd entered the tent the Joes were staying in. He looked them over quickly. "Gather whatever supplies you brought with you. We've been ordered to leave by Cobra High Command. You will be brought back to Cobra Island with us, where then you'll be picked by a representative of your military. He's there waiting as we speak. Please hurry." He left the Joes alone.

"This just gets stranger and stranger, guys. First we're treated like we're important political figures and now we're politely told we're being brought to Cobra Island. That one-eyed snake even said please!" Alpine finished eating his sandwich. He made another and put it into his backpack.

"I think we better get out there as quick as possible. Who knows what Cobra might do to us if we stay here much longer." Snow Job put on his backpack and waited for the others. "I just want to know why they're abandoning the control cube. It will be completely defenseless if they leave it now. Doesn't add up."

Snow Job and his patrol left the tent. They were escorted by a guard to a Cobra helicopter that was ready for lift off and waiting for them. They each got on board and sat together. Major Bludd sat opposite of them. He offered the four G.I. Joes a glass of champagne. They each declined the offer. Seconds later the helicopter took to the air.

Bazooka looked out the window at the temple the control cube was in. "Why did you leave the cube? Doesn't Cobra want it anymore?" 

"Shut up, Dumdum." Alpine elbowed him.

"Actually, that's a very good question and your friend answered it himself," Major Bludd answered in his Australian accent. "No, Cobra isn't interested in it anymore. A situation that is more, let's say beneficial, has arisen. The Pyramid of Darkness is about to brought down."

"Then why do the Pyramid of Darkness in the first place? What was the whole point?" Iceberg asked from looking out the window.

Major Bludd smiled slightly. "Large scale wars are no longer fought with armies or weapons. The weapons of choice now is psychology and information. The Pyramid of Darkness was effective to a point, but it should never have been a long term solution. Cobra Commander eventually realized this. The Pyramid cast fear into people's hearts and minds. They remembered what it was like. That was the psychology. This time it has paid off as the world will soon see in a few moments."

The four Joes looked out the window to witness the cube exploding inside the temple. The helicopter shuddered slightly from the shockwave. They looked at the smiling Major. Outside, they noticed it wasn't grey and hazy anymore. The Pyramid of Darkness was gone.

------------------------

Watching the monitors in the command center of Cobra Island, Hawk stepped back in shock as the control cubes simultaneously exploded. He knew that Snow Job and his team were shocked even though he couldn't see their reaction. But the three other teams reacted in shocked surprise. He saw them look at each other in confusion. Destro walked up beside Hawk holding a microphone. "Tell them their mission is completed and to head back to headquarters."

Hawk took the microphone and cleared his throat. "Okay teams, the mission has been a success. Head back to headquarters. I'll join you there shortly. I know you're confused, but all will be cleared up shortly. General Hawk out." He handed the microphone back to Destro. "Now when do I get to go back?"

"All in good time, my dear General Hawk. First, I believe Cobra Commander has something you'll find very interesting." He pointed to the main screen of the command center.

The blank screen came to life showing the hooded face of Cobra Commander. He looked to be standing on a platform in the middle of Red Square in Moscow. There were some Russian officials standing behind him along with Tomax and Xamot. Cobra Commander approached the microphone. His voice was clear and powerful.

"Citizens of the Planet Earth," he began, "as you may have noticed I have brought down the Pyramid of Darkness out of the kindness of my heart. For today is a day of celebration for Cobra. Today Cobra has inherited a home. They have earned a place they may call their own. Today the Russian Government has named Cobra their ruling body. Today, I have become the benevolent leader of Russia. I swear that today is the start of an era of greatness for Cobra and the Russian people. Cobra will not rule with an iron fist but with the open hand of kindness. We hope that the other countries of Earth won't judge Cobra on their past, but what they do in the future. My first act is to open free trade with any country who desires it.

"But a message to my people. You are free people. You are free to join the Cobra army. You are free to become dreamers, artists or to follow your heart's desire. There is a new wind blowing and it has the sweet smell of freedom. Hail Cobra!" Cobra Commander flung his arms wide as a cheer from the audience before him cheered. They chanted Cobra Commander's name with respect and awe. The screen went black after a few moments.

Hawk looked at Destro. His face was pale white. His worse nightmare realized. Cobra had legitimate country. To make it worse, it was a superpower country. A superpower country with a failing economy and political system. He needed to sit down. Hawk took the glass of water the Baroness had given him. "I don't believe it," was all he could say.

"I couldn't either when Destro told me his plan. I thought the Commander was mad. But now I see him for the genius he truly is." The Baroness sat next to Hawk. "The rules of warfare has changed, Hawk. It took Cobra Commander a long time to realize this. I hope G.I. Joe has as well."

"The world won't accept this as a reality."

Destro laughed a deep, good natured laugh. "Yes. Yes, they will. It is the new reality of things. The world changes every day, but it rarely changes on a global scale. In a way now we're your new allies in the world."

Hawk sat in silence thinking everything over. He slowly began to accept the truth of the situation. A few hours later, the helicopter with Snow Job's team arrived. Hawk and the four G.I. Joe's were reunited. They got on board a helicopter that was sent from Japan by the United States government to take them all back.

----------------------

It was a month after Cobra had gained control of Russia. So far everything was going smoothly. Cobra Commander had kept his word about running the country fairly and justly. General Hawk stood before the microphone at the podium. He looked at the G.I. Joe troops before him. He smiled at them and cleared his throat.

"I'd like to thank everyone for coming. I'll make this short and to the point. I just returned from a lengthy set of conferences with the Chiefs of Staff and the Commission. I bring excellent news. G.I. Joe is once again a fully functional arm of the Military. Our mission remains the same, but the way we operate has been changed. We're now a covert operations team. Our mission is to make sure Cobra stays in line and doesn't try for world domination. We have spies in Russia now keeping a close eye on them. Missions will be handed out tomorrow. Today we celebrate the reactivation of G.I. Joe. Yo Joe!"

All the G.I. Joes in the audience shot their fists up and repeated the battle cry.

---------------------

Sitting behind his desk in the Kremlin, Cobra Commander hung up the phone. He looked up at Tomax and Xamot. Tomax stepped forward. "How was the—"

"—call from China, Commander?" Xamot said finishing his twin brother's sentence.

"It went perfectly. All is in place for China to declare themselves a part of Russia." Cobra Commander looked out the window. "It's finally coming true. If Cobra can't force the whole world to becoming theirs, then we'll just have to pick up each country one by one. Soon the whole world will bow before COBRA!" He thrust his hands out. He laughed loud and high pitched.

**_THE BEGINNING_**

**----------------------**

**Author's Note:** Well, this was the first part of a trilogy. Kinda obvious by the ending. Think of this as the Star Wars trilogy where each part can stand out on it's own. I'm not too sure when I'll be writing the second story arc. But it will be three parts and wrap up some plot lines. I did set out to do the one thing I wanted. Cobra won. I hope you've enjoyed this. Without the fans of my work, I wouldn't be doing this. Thanks for the support and take care.

-- Nick Maro July 02, 2001

   [1]: mailto:Zer0TalentStudios@hotmail.com



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